Simulações acopladas do escoamento reativo e dos processos de transferência de calor para o estudo de chamas são problemas dispendiosos computacionalmente. A transferência de calor por radiação em processos de combustão, devido às elevadas temperaturas, é o processo de troca energética dominante. Ainda, o comportamento altamente irregular do coeficiente de absorção com o comprimento de onda se constitui em uma dificuldade adicional na modelagem da transferência radiativa em meios participantes. Para contornar essa dificuldade modelos espectrais foram desenvolvidos com o objetivo de simular o comportamento de um gás real. Dentre esses modelos destacam-se o gás cinza (GG: Gray Gas), o mais simples, que negligencia o comportamento espectral do coeficiente de absorção, e o modelo da soma-ponderada-de-gases-cinza (WSGG: Weighted-Sum-of-Gray-Gases) onde a integração sobre todo o espectro é substituída por um número finito de gases cinza. Com o avanço de ferramentas computacionais, principalmente códigos CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics), abordagens computacionais se tornaram atrativas frente ou em complemento às abordagens experimentais. Desse modo, o presente trabalho tem por objetivo a aplicação dos modelos WSGG e GG com novas correlações na simulação detalhada de chamas difusivas laminares de metano diluído com dióxido de carbono e nitrogênio com o código CFD comercial ANSYS/Fluent. Foram desenvolvidas rotinas de usuário (UDF: User-Defined Functions) para o acoplamento dos modelos espectrais ao código CFD. A verificação das rotinas de usuário foi realizada comparando os resultados obtidos via simulação Fluent com dados obtidos pelo modelo WSGG com um código FORTRAN próprio desenvolvido pelo grupo de pesquisa do Laboratório de Radiação Térmica (LRT/UFRGS) para o problema unidimensional de superfícies negras e infinitas preenchidas por um meio não-isotérmico e não-homogêneo. Os erros encontrados para o fluxo de calor radiativo nas superfícies e para o termo fonte radiativo ao longo do meio foram da ordem de 1% indicando o funcionamento correto das rotinas UDF acopladas ao Fluent. Por fim, as rotinas foram aplicadas na simulação numérica para chamas de potência constante com diluição dos reagentes e os dados obtidos com a solução numérica foram comparados com dados experimentais para a fração radiante e fluxo de calor radiativo. Os desvios médios encontrados para o fluxo de calor radiativo ficaram em torno de 10% para todas as chamas, excetuando as chamas com diluição de CO2 de 30%, 40% e 50%, em volume, para as quais os desvios médios ficaram em torno de 15%. O termo fonte para as chamas apontou para a predominância da emissão do meio em relação à absorção. Todas as chamas estudadas se encontram no regime opticamente fino (optically thin) para o qual, segundo apontam estudos da literatura, a escolha do modelo espectral possui impacto pequeno em resultados globais da chama como a temperatura e a concentração das espécies na mistura. Nesse aspecto os resultados encontrados concordaram com a previsão da literatura, entretanto para a transferência radiativa, o modelo GG se mostrou sensivelmente menos preciso em comparação ao modelo WSGG, principalmente para a fração radiante e para o fluxo radiativo na região da pluma aquecida, indicando a dependência do modelo espectral adotado. / Coupled simulations of the reactive flow with the heat transfer processes for flame studying are computationally demanding problems. The radiative transfer in combustion processes is the main heat transfer mechanism due to the high temperatures involved. However, the highly irregular behavior o f the absorption coefficient with the wavenumber composes in an additional difficulty on modeling the radiative transfer in participating media. In order to overcome this issue, spectral models were developed with the objective of simulate the behavior of real gases. Some of the most known models are the gray gas (GG) for which the spectral behavior of the radiative properties of the medium is neglected and the weighted-sum-of-gray-gases (WSGG) for which the integration over the entire spectrum is replaced by a summation over a finite number of gray gases with constant absorption coefficients. With the development of computational tools, mainly Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes, numerical approaches became attractive instead or in complement of experimental set ups. In this way, the present work aims to couple the WSGG and the GG models with new correlations in a detailed simulation of diffusive laminar flames of methane diluted with carbon dioxide and nitrogen with the commercial CFD code ANSYS/Fluent. User-defined functions (UDF) were developed to the coupling of the spectral models. The verification was carried out through the WSGG model by comparing the Fluent solution with a solution obtained with a FORTRAN code developed by the Thermal Radiation Laboratory (LRT/UFRGS) research group for the one-dimensional system of black surfaces filled with a non-homogeneous and non-isothermal medium. The deviations for the radiative heat flux for the walls and the radiative heat source along the domain were of 1% or less, indicating the correct coupling between the UDF routines and the CFD code. Finally, the UDF were applied in the solution of constant power flames with fuel diluted with carbon dioxide and nitrogen. The obtained data was then compared with experimental measurements for the radiant fraction and the radiative heat flux along the flame axis. The average deviations found were in order of 10% for all flames, except for the flames with 30%, 40% and 50% of CO2 dilution, in volume, for which the deviatioms found were in order of 15%. The radiative heat source was plotted and indicated for the medium emission predominance in comparison with the medium absorption. All flames studied were optically thin flames for which, studies pointed, the spectral model have minor impact over global results as flame temperature and mixture concentration. For this aspect the results found showed agreement with the literature studies predictions, however the GG model showed itself less accurate in comparison with the WSGG model for the radiant fraction and the radiative heat flux computations. So the spectral models have influence on the radiative transfer even if its effect on flame structure can be negligible.

Simulações acopladas do escoamento reativo e dos processos de transferência de calor para o estudo de chamas são problemas dispendiosos computacionalmente. A transferência de calor por radiação em processos de combustão, devido às elevadas temperaturas, é o processo de troca energética dominante. Ainda, o comportamento altamente irregular do coeficiente de absorção com o comprimento de onda se constitui em uma dificuldade adicional na modelagem da transferência radiativa em meios participantes. Para contornar essa dificuldade modelos espectrais foram desenvolvidos com o objetivo de simular o comportamento de um gás real. Dentre esses modelos destacam-se o gás cinza (GG: Gray Gas), o mais simples, que negligencia o comportamento espectral do coeficiente de absorção, e o modelo da soma-ponderada-de-gases-cinza (WSGG: Weighted-Sum-of-Gray-Gases) onde a integração sobre todo o espectro é substituída por um número finito de gases cinza. Com o avanço de ferramentas computacionais, principalmente códigos CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics), abordagens computacionais se tornaram atrativas frente ou em complemento às abordagens experimentais. Desse modo, o presente trabalho tem por objetivo a aplicação dos modelos WSGG e GG com novas correlações na simulação detalhada de chamas difusivas laminares de metano diluído com dióxido de carbono e nitrogênio com o código CFD comercial ANSYS/Fluent. Foram desenvolvidas rotinas de usuário (UDF: User-Defined Functions) para o acoplamento dos modelos espectrais ao código CFD. A verificação das rotinas de usuário foi realizada comparando os resultados obtidos via simulação Fluent com dados obtidos pelo modelo WSGG com um código FORTRAN próprio desenvolvido pelo grupo de pesquisa do Laboratório de Radiação Térmica (LRT/UFRGS) para o problema unidimensional de superfícies negras e infinitas preenchidas por um meio não-isotérmico e não-homogêneo. Os erros encontrados para o fluxo de calor radiativo nas superfícies e para o termo fonte radiativo ao longo do meio foram da ordem de 1% indicando o funcionamento correto das rotinas UDF acopladas ao Fluent. Por fim, as rotinas foram aplicadas na simulação numérica para chamas de potência constante com diluição dos reagentes e os dados obtidos com a solução numérica foram comparados com dados experimentais para a fração radiante e fluxo de calor radiativo. Os desvios médios encontrados para o fluxo de calor radiativo ficaram em torno de 10% para todas as chamas, excetuando as chamas com diluição de CO2 de 30%, 40% e 50%, em volume, para as quais os desvios médios ficaram em torno de 15%. O termo fonte para as chamas apontou para a predominância da emissão do meio em relação à absorção. Todas as chamas estudadas se encontram no regime opticamente fino (optically thin) para o qual, segundo apontam estudos da literatura, a escolha do modelo espectral possui impacto pequeno em resultados globais da chama como a temperatura e a concentração das espécies na mistura. Nesse aspecto os resultados encontrados concordaram com a previsão da literatura, entretanto para a transferência radiativa, o modelo GG se mostrou sensivelmente menos preciso em comparação ao modelo WSGG, principalmente para a fração radiante e para o fluxo radiativo na região da pluma aquecida, indicando a dependência do modelo espectral adotado. / Coupled simulations of the reactive flow with the heat transfer processes for flame studying are computationally demanding problems. The radiative transfer in combustion processes is the main heat transfer mechanism due to the high temperatures involved. However, the highly irregular behavior o f the absorption coefficient with the wavenumber composes in an additional difficulty on modeling the radiative transfer in participating media. In order to overcome this issue, spectral models were developed with the objective of simulate the behavior of real gases. Some of the most known models are the gray gas (GG) for which the spectral behavior of the radiative properties of the medium is neglected and the weighted-sum-of-gray-gases (WSGG) for which the integration over the entire spectrum is replaced by a summation over a finite number of gray gases with constant absorption coefficients. With the development of computational tools, mainly Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes, numerical approaches became attractive instead or in complement of experimental set ups. In this way, the present work aims to couple the WSGG and the GG models with new correlations in a detailed simulation of diffusive laminar flames of methane diluted with carbon dioxide and nitrogen with the commercial CFD code ANSYS/Fluent. User-defined functions (UDF) were developed to the coupling of the spectral models. The verification was carried out through the WSGG model by comparing the Fluent solution with a solution obtained with a FORTRAN code developed by the Thermal Radiation Laboratory (LRT/UFRGS) research group for the one-dimensional system of black surfaces filled with a non-homogeneous and non-isothermal medium. The deviations for the radiative heat flux for the walls and the radiative heat source along the domain were of 1% or less, indicating the correct coupling between the UDF routines and the CFD code. Finally, the UDF were applied in the solution of constant power flames with fuel diluted with carbon dioxide and nitrogen. The obtained data was then compared with experimental measurements for the radiant fraction and the radiative heat flux along the flame axis. The average deviations found were in order of 10% for all flames, except for the flames with 30%, 40% and 50% of CO2 dilution, in volume, for which the deviatioms found were in order of 15%. The radiative heat source was plotted and indicated for the medium emission predominance in comparison with the medium absorption. All flames studied were optically thin flames for which, studies pointed, the spectral model have minor impact over global results as flame temperature and mixture concentration. For this aspect the results found showed agreement with the literature studies predictions, however the GG model showed itself less accurate in comparison with the WSGG model for the radiant fraction and the radiative heat flux computations. So the spectral models have influence on the radiative transfer even if its effect on flame structure can be negligible.

The phenomenon of energy loss that occurs when an ion interacts with matter, also called stopping power, has been investigated for more than a century, and has provided findings of interest. However, reliable procedures for obtaining accurate experimental measurements and a fully theoretical comprehension of the process are tasks still in high demand by the scientific community. Moreover, stopping power data are prerequisites in several applications in modern science, such as engineering, ion implantation and modification of materials, damage to electronics devices (e.g. space radiation), medical physics (e.g. proton therapy), among others. In this thesis we i) develop a rigorous experimental protocol to measure stopping power with high precision, and ii) investigate the collapse of the free electron gas (FEG) model in energy loss of light ions (protons) at a low energy range in transition and rare-earth metals. In the first part, we present an approach to obtain, with high accuracy, the stopping cross sections in the pure materials Al and Mo for protons in the energy range of [0.9 - 3.6] MeV by means of the transmission method. The traceability of the sources of uncertainties are fully evaluated and the final accuracy of the results is 0.63% (0.32% rand. and 0.54% syst.) for Al, and 1.5 % (0.44 % rand. and 1.4% syst.) for Mo, with both results primarily limited by the quality and homogeneity of the stopping foils. For Al, this high accuracy represents an improvement compared to the results obtained in previous studies and serves as a benchmark for our procedure. The most important sources of uncertainties were random - the uncertainty in the peak positions and in the Gaussian fits; and systematic - the non-uniformity thickness of the foils (a special procedure was developed to correct this). Even though the final uncertainty for Mo is higher than for Al, our results improve on the amount of data currently available for the energy range considered. Both data sets are compared with the most commonly employed theoretical models and Monte Carlo codes in the literature. In the second part, electronic stopping cross sections of nontrivial solids, that is, transition and rare earth metals (Ta and Gd) for slow protons are experimentally investigated, and the data were compared with the results for Pt and Au, to understand how energy losses in these metals are correlated with electronic band structures, and to understand the failure of the FEG model predictions. The higher stopping powers found for Ta and Gd cannot be explained by means of the FEG model; however, these effects are successfully correlated with the high density of states (DOS) of both the occupied and unoccupied electronic levels in these metals. For the case of Gd, the experimental data are extended in the energy range until the Bragg\'s peak is reached. The two parts of this thesis were published in Physical Review A 93 022704 (2016), and in Physical Review Letters 18 103401 (2017), respectively. / O fenômeno de perda de energia quando um íon interage com a matéria, também conhecido como poder de freamento, vem sendo investigado por mais de um século, gerando grandes descobertas. Entretanto, conseguir obter medidas experimentais com alta precisão, ou elaborar um completo entendimento teórico dos processos de perda de energia são tarefas extremamente difíceis e ainda muito requeridas pela comunidade científica. Além disso, dados de perda de energia são pré-requisitos em várias aplicações e ramos da ciência moderna, tais como: engenharia, implantação e modificação de materiais, danos em dispositivos eletrônicos (radiação espacial), física médica (próton terapia), etc. Esta tese tem dois focos: i) desenvolver um rigoroso protocolo experimental para medir stopping power com alta precisão e ii) investigar a quebra de validade do modelo de Gás de Elétrons Livres (FEG) para a perda de energia de prótons lentos em metais de transição e terra raras. Na primeira parte apresentamos uma abordagem experimental para obter com alta precisão o poder de freamento em materiais puros (Al e Mo) para prótons no intervalo de energia de [0,9 - 3,6] MeV pelo método de transmissão. A rastreabilidade das fontes de incerteza foi determinada e as incertezas finais encontradas foram: 0,63 % (0,32 % aleat. e 0,54 % sist.) para Al e 1,5 % (0,44 % aleat. e 1,4 % sist.) para Mo, ambas devido a qualidade e homogeneidade das folhas freadoras. Para Al, esta acurácia representa um avanço comparado com publicações anteriores e, assim, serviu como uma referência de nosso procedimento. As mais importantes fontes de incerteza foram: aleatória incerteza das posições dos picos e dos ajustes Gaussianos e sistemática não-uniformidade das folhas-alvo (um procedimento foi desenvolvido para corrigir isso). Embora a incerteza final do Mo é um pouco maior do que do Al, nossos resultados ajudaram a complementar a baixa quantidade de dados disponíveis para o intervalo de energia considerado. Ambos conjuntos de dados foram comparados com os mais comuns modelos teóricos e códigos de Monte Carlo na literatura. Para a segunda parte, poder de freamento em metais não tão comuns tais como transição (Ta) e terras-raras (Gd) para prótons com baixas velocidades foram experimentalmente investigados, e os dados comparados com resultados de Pt e Au, a fim de entender como o stopping power destes metais está correlacionado com as estruturas de bandas eletrônicas, e assim tentar explicar a falha do modelo de FEG. Os altos valores das perdas de energias encontradas para Ta e Gd não puderam ser explicadas pelo modelo de FEG, e portanto foram correlacionados com a densidade de estados (DOS) em ambos os níveis ocupados e não ocupados destes metais. Para o caso do Gd, os dados experimentais foram estendidos em um intervalo de energia até alcançarem o pico de Bragg. A primeira parte desta tese foi publicada na Physical Review A 93 022704 (2016), e a segunda parte na Physical Review Letters 18 103401 (2017).

A superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) is an emerging, and today commercially available technology, for photon-counting and quantum cryptography. Yet, the photon detection event is not fully understood and current modeling efforts require substantial computational resources which motivates studies of simpler models.  This thesis introduces a model for vortex dynamics in thin-layered superconductors, such as SNSPDs, using a simplified approach, which leads to a 2D Coulomb gas model where the vortices are modeled as electrostatic charges. The model is carefully constructed from the method of images to describe a wire with open boundary conditions and an applied supercurrent. Subsequently, equilibrium and non-equilibrium properties are sampled with the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm and further analyzed and discussed. The suggested model is shown to be effective and successfully reproduces expected SNSPD behavior; most importantly critical behavior and voltage pulses which are directly measured during detection events. In conclusion, a 2D Coulomb gas model can be a preferred alternative for modeling vortex dynamics in SNSPDs at a small computational cost, motivating further development and studies. / Supraledande nanotråd-enfotondetektorer (SNSPD:er) är en framväxande och idag kommersiellt tillgänglig teknologi som används för räknande av fotoner samt inom kvantkryptografi. Ändå är fotondetektionshändelsen inte helt förstådd och de nuvarande modelleringar kräver substantiell datorkraft vilket motiverar studier av enklare modeller. Det här examensarbetet introducerar en model för vortexdynamik i tunnskiktade supraledare såsom SNSPD:er genom ett förenklat tillvägagångssätt som leder till en 2D Coulombgas-modell där ett vortex modelleras som en elektrisk laddning. Modellen är noggrant konstruerad med öppna randvillkor och den så kallade frysta spegelbildsmetoden samt en pålagd superström. Då samlas mätvärden in på jämvikts- samt icke-jämviktsegenskaper hos systemet som vidare analyseras, jämförs och diskuteras. Den föreslagna modellen visas vara effektiv och reproducerar framgångsrikt förväntat beteende hos SNSPD:er; framför allt kritiskt beteende och spänningstoppar som direkt uppmäts i en fysisk detektionshändelse. Sammanfattningsvis, kan en 2D Coulombgas-modell vara ett föredraget alternativ för att modellera vortexdynamik hos SNSPD:er för en liten beräkningskostnad, vilket motiverar fler studier av detta.

In this thesis we show how reactive processes can be affected by the presence of different types of spatial constraints, so much so that their nonlinear dynamics can be qualitatively altered or that new and unexpected behaviors can be produced. To understand how this interplay can occur in general terms, we theoretically investigate four very different examples of this situation. <p><p>The first system we study is a reversible trimolecular chemical reaction which is taking place in closed one-dimensional lattices. We show that the low dimensionality may or may not prevent the reaction from reaching its equilibrium state, depending on the microscopic properties of the molecular reactive mechanism. <p><p>The second reactive process we consider is a network of biological interactions between pigment cells on the skin of zebrafish. We show that the combination of short-range and long-range contact-mediated feedbacks can promote a Turing instability which gives rise to stationary patterns in space with intrinsic wavelength, without the need of any kind of motion.<p><p>Then we investigate the behavior of a typical chemical oscillator (the Brusselator) when it is constrained in a finite space. We show that molecular crowding can in such cases promote new nonlinear dynamical behaviors, affect the usual ones or even destroy them. <p><p>Finally we look at the situation where the constraint is given by the presence of a solid porous matrix that can react with a perfect gas in an exothermic way. We show on one hand that the interplay between reaction, heat flux and mass transport can give rise to the propagation of adsorption waves, and on the other hand that the coupling between the chemical reaction and the changes in the structural properties of the matrix can produce sustained chemomechanical oscillations. <p><p>These results show that spatial constraints can affect the kinetics of reactions, and are able to produce otherwise absent nonlinear dynamical behaviors. As a consequence of this, the usual understanding of the nonlinear dynamics of reactive systems can be put into question or even disproved. In order to have a better understanding of these systems we must acknowledge that mechanical and structural feedbacks can be important components of many reactive systems, and that they can be the very source of complex and fascinating phenomena.<p> / Doctorat en Sciences / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Ultra-relativisitic heavy ion collisions produce quark gluon plasma-a hot and dense soup of deconfined quarks and gluons akin to the early universe. We study two models in the context of these collisions namely, Polyakov Quark Meson Model (PQM) and Hadron Resonance Gas Model (HRGM).The PQM Model provides us with a simple and intuitive understanding of the QCD equation of state and thermodynamics at non zero temperature and baryon density while the HRGM is the principle model to analyse the hadron yields measured in these experiments across the entire range of beam energies. We study the effect of including the commonly neglected fermionic vacuum fluctuations to the (2+1) flavor PQM model. The conventional PQM model suffers from a rapid phase transition contrary to what is found through lattice simulations. Addition of the vacuum term tames the rapid transition and significantly improves the model’s agreement to lattice data. We further investigate the role of the vacuum term on the phase diagram. The smoothening effect of the vacuum term persists even at non zero . Depending on the value of the mass of the sigma meson, including the vacuum term results in either pushing the critical end point into higher values of the chemical potential or excluding the possibility of a critical end point altogether. We compute the fluctuations(correlations) of conserved charges up to sixth(fourth) order. Comparison is made with lattice data wherever available and overall good qualitative agreement is found, more so for the case of the normalised susceptibilities. The model predictions for the ratio of susceptibilities approach to that of an ideal gas of hadrons as in HRGM at low temperatures while at high temperature the values are close to that of an ideal gas of massless quarks. We examine the stability of HRGMs by extending them to take care of undiscovered resonances through the Hagedorn formula. We find that the influence of unknown resonances on thermodynamics is large but bounded. We model the decays of resonances and investigate the ratios of particle yields in heavy-ion collisions. We find that extending these models do not have much effect on hydrodynamics but the hadron yield ratios show better agreement with experiment. In principle HRGMs are internally consistent up to a temperature higher than the cross over temperature in QCD; but by examining quark number susceptibilities we find that their region of applicability seems to end even below the QCD cross over.

[ES] En la presente tesis se construyen modelos matemáticos para el análisis de tiempos de respuesta (TR) a estímulos visuales en experimentos informatizados. Es conocido que existe una correlación estrecha entre los tiempos de reacción y diversos trastornos cognitivos, tales como el Trastorno por Déficit de Atención e Hiperactividad (TDAH). Sin embargo, no existe consenso en la explicación de estas correlaciones. Una primera aportación, más práctica, de este trabajo, es el desarrollo de una metodología para la clasificación de un grupo coetáneo de niños en edad escolar. La función ex-Gaussiana, originada por la convolución entre una Gaussiana y una exponencial decreciente, se utiliza para representar las funciones de distribución empíricas de tiempos de respuesta. La metodología de clasificación propuesta utiliza las distribuciones de los parámetros de la ex-Gaussiana mu, sigma y tau en una muestra de 168 niños, así como la distribución de la moda, obtenida de las distribuciones empíricas de los TR. También utiliza diferentes definiciones de norma del vector de componentes (mu, sigma, tau) también analizado en la muestra. Entre los criterios utilizados para detectar los niños más alejados de un comportamiento normativo y, por tanto, con mayor probabilidad de tener algún trastorno cognitivo, se encuentra, por ejemplo, el porcentaje medio de prevalencia mundial de TDAH (7 %) y el hecho de que los niños con alteraciones cognitivas presentan respuestas más lentas o más rápidas pero con un mayor número de errores. En una segunda parte de la tesis, con un marcado aporte teórico, se analizan las correlaciones existentes entre los tiempos de respuesta de los participantes. Se ha aplicado una metodología propia basada en la transformada rápida de Fourier de las series temporales de las respuestas de los niños a lo largo de estímulos consecutivos y un análisis de correlaciones basado en la Entropía de Shannon espectral (por frecuencia). Los resultados obtenidos son muy novedosos, ya que se evidencia una correlación elevada entre las respuestas de los niños, aun cuando han hecho los experimentos de manera totalmente independiente. A partir de la evidencia empírica de la existencia de correlaciones entre las series temporales de las respuestas de los niños, lo que apunta hacia la existencia de una colectividad, se propone un modelo inspirado en la Física para entender y explicar las correlaciones. Específicamente, se demuestra la existencia de un paralelismo entre las partículas independientes de un gas ideal y los cerebros de los niños, que serían, en última instancia, los que generan las respuestas observables. La distribución de Maxwell-Boltzmann, conocida en Física por describir la distribución de velocidades de un Gas Ideal en equilibrio termodinámico, emerge del análisis de los tiempos de respuesta, en términos de los momentos de las funciones ex-Gaussianas que los representan. La posibilidad de contar con una función de distribución de probabilidades, que describa el comportamiento natural de una colectividad, ofrece muchas posibilidades de aplicación en diferentes áreas. Una de ellas es la posibilidad de clasificar a los individuos con respecto al grupo natural al que pertenecen. Las implicaciones de las aportaciones conceptuales de esta tesis se discuten al final, donde se comenta la continuidad de este trabajo. / [CA] En la present tesi es construeixen models matemàtics per a l'anàlisi de temps de resposta (TR) a estímuls visuals en experiments informatitzats. És conegut que existeix una correlació estreta entre els temps de reacció i diversos trastorns cognitius, com ara el Trastorn per Dèficit d'Atenció i Hiperactivitat (TDAH). No obstant això, no existeix consens en l'explicació d'aquestes correlacions. Una primera aportació, més pràctica, d'aquest treball, és el desenvolupament d'una metodologia per a la classificació d'un grup coetani de xiquets en edat escolar. La funció ex-Gaussiana, originada per la convolució entre una Gaussiana i una exponencial decreixent, s'utilitza per a representar les funcions de distribució empíriques de temps de resposta. La metodologia de classificació proposada utilitza les distribucions dels paràmetres de la ex-Gaussiana mu, sigma i tau en una mostra de 168 xiquets, així com la distribució de la moda, obtinguda de les distribucions empíriques dels TR. També utilitza diferents definicions de norma del vector de components (mu, sigma, tau), també analitzat en la mostra. Entre els criteris utilitzats per a detectar els xiquets més allunyats d'un comportament normatiu i, per tant, amb major probabilitat de tenir algun trastorn cognitiu, es troba, per exemple, el percentatge mitjà de prevalença mundial de TDAH (7%) i el fet que els xiquets amb alteracions cognitives presenten respostes més lentes o més ràpides però amb un major nombre d'errors. En una segona part de la tesi, amb una marcada aportació teòrica, s'analitzen les correlacions existents entre els temps de resposta dels participants. S'ha aplicat una metodologia pròpia basada en la transformada ràpida de Fourier de les sèries temporals de les respostes dels xiquets al llarg d'estímuls consecutius i una anàlisi de correlacions basat en l'Entropia de Shannon espectral (per freqüència). Els resultats obtinguts són molt nous, ja que, s'evidencia una correlació elevada entre les respostes dels xiquets, tot i que han fet els experiments de manera totalment independent. A partir de l'evidència empírica de l'existència de correlacions entre les sèries temporals de les respostes dels xiquets, la qual cosa apunta cap a l'existència d'una col·lectivitat, es proposa un model inspirat en la Física per a entendre i explicar les correlacions. Específicament, es demostra l'existència d'un paral·lelisme entre les partícules independents d'un gas ideal i els cervells dels xiquets, que serien, en última instància, els que generen les respostes observables. La distribució de Maxwell-Boltzmann, coneguda de la Física per descriure la distribució de velocitats d'un Gas Ideal en equilibri termodinàmic, emergeix de l'anàlisi dels temps de resposta, en termes dels moments de les funcions ex-Gaussianas que els representen. La possibilitat de comptar amb una funció de distribució de probabilitats, que descriga el comportament natural d'una col·lectivitat, ofereix moltes possibilitats d'aplicació en diferents àrees. Una d'elles és la possibilitat de classificar als individus respecte al grup natural al qual pertanyen. Les implicacions de les aportacions conceptuals d'aquesta tesi es discuteixen al final, on es comenta la continuïtat d'aquest treball. / [EN] Mathematical models are built to analyse response time data to visual stimuli in computerized experiments. The actual correlation between reaction times and cognitive disorders, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity (ADHD) disorder, is well known in the literature. However, there is no clear consensus about how to explain this correlation. A first practical contribution of this work is a classification methodology of a coetaneous group of school-aged children. The ex-Gaussian function, originated by the convolution of a Gaussian and an exponential decay functions is used to represent the experimental probability distributions of reaction times. The classification methodology proposed in this work utilizes the probability distributions of the ex-Gaussian parameters mu, sigma and tau across a sample of 168 children, as well as the mode of the empirical probability distributions of the reaction times. Also, some definitions of the norm of the vector with components (mu, sigma, tau) are used. The detection of those children who lie furthest from the normative behaviour, and then, are more likely to suffer a cognitive disorder is performed by including the following criteria: the world prevalence percentage of ADHD (7 %) and the fact that children with this disorder show slower and faster responses. In the case of the fast responses, they should be given along with a higher rate of mistakes. In a second part of this work more conceptual contributions are provided. The evidenced correlations between the children's responses along consecutive visual stimuli are analysed by using the fast Fourier transform and the Shannon's Entropy in spectral form (per frequency). The outcome is surprising as correlations among the children are manifested, even when they carry out the experiments independently. This fact strongly suggests the existence of a collective of children. In order to gain insights into this finding, a Physics-inspired model is proposed. Specifically, the results indicate the existence of a parallelism between the independent particles forming an Ideal Gas and the group of individuals. Then, the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution of the velocities of the particles of an Ideal Gas, emerges here when the moments of the ex-Gaussian distributions are considered across the sample. This opens many possibilities of applications in different fields as a natural distribution of the response times of the collective is available. For instance, the behaviour of an individual in relation to the natural group it belongs to can be known. The potential applications and impact of these developments are included at the end of this work where the continuity of this work is commented. / Hernaiz Guijarro, M. (2021). Tiempos de respuesta a estímulos visuales: vinculando el comportamiento individual y colectivo a través de las leyes de la Física [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/168120 / TESIS

The present research project is carried out at the von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics (Rhode-Saint-Genèse, Belgium) with the financial support of the European Space Agency.<p><p>The first stage of spacecrafts (e.g. Ariane 5, Vega, Shuttle) generally consists of large solid propellant rocket motors (SRM), which often consist of segmented structure and incorporate a submerged nozzle. During the combustion, the regression of the solid propellant surrounding the nozzle integration part leads to the formation of a cavity around the nozzle lip. The propellant combustion generates liquefied alumina droplets coming from chemical reaction of the aluminum composing the propellant grain. The alumina droplets being carried away by the hot burnt gases are flowing towards the nozzle. Meanwhile the droplets may interact with the internal flow. As a consequence, some of the droplets are entrapped in the cavity forming an alumina puddle (slag) instead of being exhausted through the throat. This slag reduces the performances.<p><p>The aim of the present study is to characterize the slag accumulation process in a simplified model of the MPS P230 motor using primarily optical experimental techniques. Therefore, a 2D-like cold-gas model is designed, which represents the main geometrical features of the real motor (presence of an inhibitor, nozzle and cavity) and allows to approximate non-dimensional parameters of the internal two-phase flow (e.g. Stokes number, volume fraction). The model is attached to a wind-tunnel that provides quasi-axial flow (air) injection. A water spray device in the stagnation chamber realizes the models of the alumina droplets, which are accumulating in the aft-end cavity of the motor.<p><p>To be able to carry out experimental investigation, at first the the VKI Level Detection and Recording(LeDaR) and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurement techniques had to be adapted to the two-phase flow condition of the facility.<p><p>A parametric liquid accumulation assessment is performed experimentally using the LeDaR technique to identify the influence of various parameters on the liquid deposition rate. The obstacle tip to nozzle tip distance (OT2NT) is identified to be the most relevant, which indicates how much a droplet passing just at the inhibitor tip should deviate transversally to leave through the nozzle and not to be entrapped in the cavity.<p><p>As LeDaR gives no indication of the driving mechanisms, the flow field is analysed experimentally, which is supported by numerical simulations to understand the main driving forces of the accumulation process. A single-phase PIV measurement campaign provides detailed information about the statistical and instantaneous flow structures. The flow quantities are successfully compared to an equivalent 3D unsteady LES numerical model.<p><p>Two-phase flow CFD simulations suggest the importance of the droplet diameter on the accumulation rate. This observation is confirmed by two-phase flow PIV experiments as well. Accordingly, the droplet entrapment process is described by two mechanisms. The smaller droplets (representing a short characteristic time) appear to follow closely the air-phase. Thus, they may mix with the air-phase of the recirculation region downstream the inhibitor and can be carried into the cavity. On the other hand, the large droplets (representing a long characteristic time) are not able to follow the air-phase motion. Consequently, a large mean velocity difference is found between the droplets and the air-phase using the two-phase flow measurement data. Therefore, due to the inertia of the large droplets, they may fall into the cavity in function of the OT2NT and their velocity vector at the level of the inhibitor tip.<p><p>Finally, a third mechanism, dripping is identified as a contributor to the accumulation process. In the current quasi axial 2D-like set-up large drops are dripping from the inhibitor. In this configuration they are the main source of the accumulation process. Therefore, additional numerical simulations are performed to estimate the importance of dripping in more realistic configurations. The preliminary results suggest that dripping is not the main mechanism in the real slag accumulation process. However, it may still lead to a considerable contribution to the final amount of slag.<p> / Doctorat en Sciences de l'ingénieur / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished